Louisiana Felon Sentenced to More Than 7 Years After Admitting to Possessing a Firearm and Drugs

New Orleans, Louisiana – A Louisiana felon has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison after admitting to possessing a firearm and drugs.

New Orleans resident Eddie Harris, 39, has been given a prison sentence of 92 months (7 years, 8 months) by U.S. District Judge Jane T. Milazzo on June 28, 2023. After serving his time, Harris will be under three years of supervised release and is required to pay a mandatory $200 special assessment fee.

The charges against him include possessing cocaine with the intention of distributing it and being in possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

Based on legal records, Harris confessed to having a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic firearm despite having previous convictions for various serious crimes, such as illegally possessing a weapon and possessing drugs with the intention to sell. Additionally, Harris acknowledged possessing 25 small bags of cocaine with the purpose of distributing them.

The given case is a component of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that aims to unite law enforcement agencies and communities in order to decrease incidents of violent crime and gun violence, ultimately creating safer neighborhoods for all residents. On May 26, 2021, the Department initiated a strategy to enhance PSN’s effectiveness in reducing violent crime, which is centered around key principles such as building trust and credibility within communities, providing support to community organizations that work towards preventing violence, establishing targeted enforcement priorities, and evaluating the outcomes.

The mentioned case was examined by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman from the Violent Crimes Unit.